Larry M. Robbins received an A.B. from Harvard in 1961, an M.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1962 and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1969.  He came to the University of Pennsylvania English Department in 1967 where he taught Renaissance literature.  He returned to teaching Shakespeare in the College of General Studies in 1991.  From 1973 to 1975 he was a writer in the University Development Office, creating major funding proposals and capital campaign material.

In l975, he moved to the Wharton School where he established the Wharton Communication Program.  He also directed the Wharton Teacher Development Program and the Wharton Arts Management Program.  He has consulted internationally with colleges and universities, businesses and individuals in the areas of communication, teaching, and arts management.

He returned to the University of Pennsylvania's School of Arts and Sciences in 1999 as founding director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.  He develops programs on teaching throughout the University and provides individual consultation to instructors at all levels.

He is the author of The Business of Writing and Speaking: A Managerial Communication Manual (McGraw-Hill, 1985, 1996).